


Coherency

by unadrift



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode: s04e03 Reunion, Episode: s09e13 Ripple Effect, M/M, Missing Scene, POV Outsider, unintended matchmaking, vaguely implied Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 10:57:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17120081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unadrift/pseuds/unadrift
Summary: An all-Atlantis SG-1? This should be an interesting briefing.





	Coherency

**Author's Note:**

> This is a repost of an older fic from DW/LJ. I'm gathering all my stuff here. (And this is *really* the last one.)

_Huh,_ Sam thought. Considering the way Walter turned towards her with a "Colonel?", she maybe even said it out loud.

There were no SG-1 doppelgangers in the team that had just stepped through the gate. When had that started to be surprising?

They _were_ SG-1 though; their uniforms proved it.

Rodney McKay's lips formed the words "Oh my god" before he dropped his pack right there on the ramp and shoved an elbow into Colonel Sheppard's side, none-too-subtly pointing at Sam. Sheppard's eyes widened when he spotted her behind the observation room window. Lieutenants Ford and Cadman - Sam recognized them from their time with the SGC - also went unnaturally still. It gave her a vague idea exactly why she wasn't part of SG-1 in that universe.

"What's up? Another us?" Mitchell came up beside her. He cocked his head. "This is different."

She almost said, "Ya think?"

An all-Atlantis SG-1? This should be an interesting briefing.

SG-1 (actually the nineteenth SG-1 that had stepped through the gate over the course of two days) was shown into the briefing room an hour later, after the obligatory check-up by Dr Lam. Rodney immediately closed in on Sam, eyes wide and disbelieving, Sheppard hot on his heels. "You're dead!" Rodney said accusingly. "Why aren't you dead? Of course I know why you aren't dead, you aren't her. You're not our Samantha Carter. Our Sam _is_ dead. You..."

"Rodney," Sheppard said, laying a hand on his shoulder, and Rodney fell silent, looking lost and furious at the same time. With a tight smile Sam briefly squeezed Rodney's arm. She'd seen dead people today, too. "Let's have a seat," she suggested. Not taking his eyes off the spot on his arm where Sam had touched him, Rodney was led to a chair by Sheppard.

Asked about their current situation, this SG-1 had as little insight to offer as the others before them. After a quarter of an hour of "no idea"s, "don't know"s, and "nothing out of the ordinary"s, Sam sighed and started a different, hopefully more interesting route of questioning.

As she'd suspected, they hadn't found Atlantis yet. "Atlantis? Are you mocking me?" Rodney asked incredulously.

"Of course she is, because everything is about you, McKay," Cadman shot back, rolling her eyes.

Sheppard silenced them with a look. "Tell us about Atlantis."

Sam did. About the city and the ancient technology - to Rodney's continuing expression of awe and Ford's "Man, that's even more science fiction than we get". She told about the friends they'd made and didn't forget to include tales of the Wraith and the Genii and other unpleasant things. "I'll provide you with a copy of our mission reports. Maybe this way you can avoid certain... mistakes we made." She held Sheppard's gaze for a moment, willing him to understand that this knowledge wasn't so much a gift as it was a heavy responsibility.

Sheppard received the message. He cleared his throat. "That would be appreciated."

Even if Sam had already gotten an inkling as to _how_ different their realities were, it was a shock to learn they hadn't heard of the Ori. Rodney snorted. "The what? Who is stupid enough to call themselves that?" Sam explained that no, they certainly weren't stupid, and proceeded with information about their goals, violent methods, and lack of conscience.

"Wow," Ford said after a moment, "I'm really glad this is your universe."

"I'm suddenly very eager to return home," Rodney stated nervously. "What's your plan? You do have a plan, don't you. Something risky, endangering the life of everyone on the base, or better even, the planet? As usual?" Then he averted his eyes, probably remembering that the Sam in their universe couldn't endanger anyone any more.

"I'll take you down to the lab after the briefing. Now I..." She hesitated.

"You want to know how you died," Sheppard guessed. He shifted in his seat. "Defending the planet against Anubis, in the Ancient outpost in Antarctica. You protected Colonel O'Neill while he was operating the chair. You, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c bought him just enough time to destroy Anubis's fleet before you were all killed."

"O'Neill died two days later in hospital from the after-effects of the ancient repository download," Rodney added.

Sam swallowed heavily. She hated the reminders. Reminders of the thousand and one things that could have gone wrong and hadn't on any mission they'd ever been on, of the sheer dumb luck that had saved them more often than not. This wasn't new, but the possibilities didn't usually stare her in the face this openly. She thought of Teal'c, and Daniel, and Jack, and felt relief she'd died with them in that universe. It should have disturbed her, but it didn't.

It was perfectly clear now why the location of Atlantis was unknown to this SG-1; Daniel hadn't been around to find out about it. Daniel hadn't been around to do a lot of things. Cold, heavy dread gathered in the pit of her stomach when she realized. The Ori. Sam thought about Pandora's box, and the evil that should have stayed trapped. The only difference between her universe and theirs was that no one had been there to open the lid.

She shook herself out of her thoughts and dismissed SG-1 (number nineteen). If she could help it, no one else would hear about this. Daniel would _never_ hear about this. 

"I'll meet you in the lab. I'll just..." Rodney said, gesturing at Sheppard's retreating back.

"Yes, I'll see you there." Sam's eyes followed Rodney's quick steps, and really, what was it with those two? On Atlantis, Sheppard had offered to shoot Rodney for her. It had been a joke, but frankly, sometimes Sam was amazed he'd managed to keep himself from doing so. Their arguments were rumored to be pretty spectacular, but their friendship was rumored to be pretty strong, too.

For the first time she realized the parallels, maybe because they were part of an SG-1 now, and the similarities were easier to spot with that kind of connection. Jack and Daniel had also appeared like adversaries to the outside eye, always arguing, almost never on the same page. But in the end, they shared an understanding of each other she'd rarely seen in anyone else, and which she sometimes envied. Partly, this was a team thing. She shared a close friendship with her team members, too. And partly, it was just them.

It was probably _just them_ for Rodney and Sheppard, too.

Sam gathered her papers and her thoughts. Time to get everyone home. 

\---

Rodney froze in the doorway to the lab, red spots instantly rising on his cheeks, mouth opening and closing but no sound coming out. His eyes darted around the room frantically for a minute or two. Sam sighed and waved him over. Two hours later, when Sheppard dropped by, Rodney still seemed torn which Sam Carter to avoid hitting on first. "Like a diabetic kid in the candy store," Sheppard muttered, somewhat fondly. Sam had to agree. "He's going to give himself a coronary." Sam had to agree to that, too. "We're going to go get some lunch."

"Good idea," she said, waving him off.

"And maybe afterwards you can find something useful somewhere else for him to do?"

It would certainly be more productive. "I'll see what I can do," she said without looking up from her calculations.

When Sam did look up later, in search of a reference book, Rodney and Sheppard were long gone. Carter (number three, or maybe seven?) came over to share the results of a simulation, which didn't look promising at all on first sight. They cursed in unison, then glanced at each other nervously. Why did everyday life at the SGC have to be so plain weird?

It got worse a few minutes later when Sam opened the door to the supply closet. A dozen Sam Carters with a problem to solve were bound to run out of paper quickly. She'd gone to fetch a package or two, and instead got an eyeful of Rodney McKay in liplock with Colonel Sheppard, complete with tongue and Sheppard's hands squeezing Rodney's ass and Rodney working on Sheppard's belt buckle. Their flushed faces whipped around towards her. She just stared, then had the presence of mind to close the door behind her.

"Uh," Sheppard said intelligently, casting a sideways glance at Rodney.

Seemingly taking Sam's continuing inactivity as a sign for-- something, Rodney's eyes glazed over even more. He licked his lips. "You wouldn't happen to want to..." Sheppard moved _really_ fast and clamped a hand over Rodney's mouth. "...have some staples?" he finished lamely.

"No," Sam said, her mind going _holycrapHOLYCRAP!_ Because this was-- totally unexpected and really not happening. Rodney, yes. That she could believe. He'd always struck her as the take-it-where-you-can-get-it kind of guy. But Sheppard? Sheppard _and_ Rodney? Never in a million years would she have guessed. Never. Not in this universe-- Okay, yes, there was the flaw in her reasoning: maybe in another one.

"Is there DADT where you come from? Because your subtle and secret could use some work," Sam finally said, trying to relieve some of the tension.

Sheppard removed his hand from Rodney's mouth at a death glare. "It's not like you could tell anyone," Rodney reminded her with narrowed eyes.

"That's not--" Sam crossed her arms in front of your chest. "I'm not planning to. You are... This isn't just a..." She gestured vaguely.

"I don't see how this is any of your business, but no. This isn't a fuck-buddy thing. What?" Rodney snapped and turned to Sheppard again. "Did you think it was?"

"Well, I... hoped," Sheppard said quietly, and god, blushing. Their faces were really close, and everything _shifted_ , their eyes locking, hands gripping sleeves and vests harder, breathing going faster. The room was loaded and crackling with tension and a sense of _hot_. She had to get out of there.

Sam cleared her throat, and their attention snapped back to her. Yep, _very_ bad at subtle and secret. "Hand me two of those," she said, pointing up at the packages of paper. Frowning, Sheppard took his hands off Rodney long enough to reach up and do as asked.

"Thanks." She turned and left them to it.

A few minutes later, when everything had started to sink in, Sam thought about parallels again. 

 

\---

 

"This is all information we can provide you with." Sam handed the flash drive over to Sheppard who eyed it critically. She lowered her voice. "It's clean. Nothing about, you know."

"Thanks," Sheppard said and pocketed it. Sam had the feeling the data would be checked and double checked thoroughly anyway.

The wormhole engaged behind her. "Well," she said, "gate safely."

"It's been a blast." Sheppard extended a hand and she shook it.

"It was really good seeing you again." Rodney looked a bit teary. She pulled him into a hug. He patted her back awkwardly and added, "You and the other twenty Sam Carters." Sam smiled when she pulled back.

She waved at Cadman and Ford before they stepped through the event horizon, and her eyes followed Sheppard and Rodney as they walked up the ramp. Rodney was already rambling again, about the possible faulty reassembly of atoms, major risks for brain tissue, and almost-certain death. Sheppard rolled his eyes and pushed him through.

Some things just weren't that different at all. 

 

\---

Apart from a few days of deeper contemplation afterwards, Sam didn't really think about parallel universe Rodney again until her first day on Atlantis, when the Rodney from this universe stood before her, wringing his hands, saying, "I'm seeing someone," in a way that was designed to gently wean her off the idea of a romantic future with him. She'd long since given up on getting it into his thick skull that she'd never harboured any sort of plans regarding Rodney and romance whatsoever. She'd learned that it was a waste of effort.

"Rodney," she said, trying to interrupt his further ranting. "Rodney!"

He blinked. "What?"

"You know you aren't supposed to tell?"

"What?" Rodney asked, bewildered.

"I'm prepared not to ask, but that's rather a moot point when you're telling."

"Wait," he said. "Wait. You're thinking... How did you ever get the idea that I'm gay?"

Sam froze. Given her knowledge, it had been the obvious assumption. "Well, aren't you, um..."

"No! I'm dating Dr Brown, one of the biologists. For your information, she's a _woman_." he said. "And who's _asking_ now?"

"Sorry," she said, and felt it. Damn, she knew better than to just assume. "Sorry, Rodney. After the... I thought... Never mind. Forget I said anything." She forced a smile and really, really wanted this conversation to be over. "I'm very happy for you."

"Right," Rodney said, frowning. "After what?"

"What?" She willed Rodney to leave it alone, to just go and never speak of it again, because if this can of worms hadn't been opened yet, or maybe wasn't even destined to be opened in this universe, she didn't want to be the one to do it. But of course Rodney wouldn't leave it alone, and Sam knew him well enough to be certain he would continue to not leave it alone in the future.

"You said _after the_. After the what?"

"Rodney, just let it drop. You don't want to know." Which was obviously the wrong thing to say, but she realized that too late.

"No." Rodney glared at her.

Sam moved to sit down on her bed, resigned. "There was this incident in the SGC with parallel universe SG-1 teams pouring through the gate. Remember the report?"

"An assembly of such an amount of voodoo and mediocre-guessing science isn't all that easy to forget. Half-way through I started honestly sympathizing with the fabric of the universe. It was that gut-wrenching."

Sam decided to ignore the jab at her work. No good had ever come out of that kind of discussion with Rodney. "Did you read the entire report?"

"Of course not. I skimmed the science part, skipped the boring rest."

"You shouldn't have." She told him about the universe where they hadn't discovered Atlantis yet, about the way she and her team had been killed three years before, and about the SG-1 that had stepped through the gate. Rodney looked stricken at first, then hesitantly delighted. "I was on SG-1?" Then he made a face. "Cadman, too? That's just my luck."

"What I didn't include in the report was the part where I caught Sheppard and McKay making out in a supply closet," she added, going for blunt, since Rodney had never been famous for his patience with subtle.

Rodney was dumbstruck, silent for a good twenty seconds. "Me and, and..."

"Colonel Sheppard, yes. You see how this could have led me to the conclusion..."

"Yes, yes, you're forgiven," he interrupted distractedly. "Seriously, _me_ and _him_?"

The corners of her mouth lifted on their own accord. "Oh yeah," she said, and bit her lip immediately, inwardly cursing.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just... You were... McKay was about to ask me to join in."

It was interesting to watch Rodney turn all different shades of red. "I... He certainly wasn't!"

"He was. Sheppard was quick enough to stop him in time."

Which seemed to draw Rodney's attention to the fact that Sheppard had been there. He stared into space, forefinger resting on his lips, then lightly tapping. "Wasn't it... strange? A strange sight?"

Sam thought for a moment. "No. Surprising, maybe. Strange, not so much, once I got over the shock." She debated with herself, then added, "There was... tension."

Rodney did a double-take. "Are you trying to tell me it was _hot_?"

She shrugged helplessly.

"I did not need to know that," Rodney complained miserably, sitting down next to her on the bed. "I really didn't need to know that."

"You asked."

"Don't remind me."

"What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean, what am I going to do? Do you expect me to track Sheppard down right now and beg him to have my babies?" When Sam didn't immediately veto the plan, he yelled, "Are you nuts?"

"We probably shouldn't have this discussion," Sam said calmly. Hell, she hadn't _wanted_ to have this discussion.

"You're not backing out on me now!" Rodney said menacingly, and then, "Huh. If I had ever imagined a conversation about gay relationships, about _my_ gay relationship, it certainly wouldn't have been with you of all people." He realized what he'd said and hastily back-pedalled, "Not that I'm actually in a gay relationship. This is just pondering the possibility of a possible..."

"This conversation hasn't been on top of my to-do list either," Sam cut him off. 

"So, what am I going to do?" He looked at her, openly, actually asking for help, which was an alarm signal all in itself.

"You're considering doing this, aren't you," Sam said, not really surprised.

He made a frustrated sound. "I don't know! I'm currently in a kind of long-term relationship with a beautiful woman who might even love me despite my numerous character flaws. I'm _straight_! How could I?"

Sam really didn't want to ask the following question, but she'd brought this upon him; she felt obligated. "Do you love her?"

"I, yes, of course. Maybe. No. I don't think so." Rodney put his head in his hands, looking so forlorn that she also asked the question she'd sworn wouldn't come over her lips under any circumstances. "What about him?"

He went completely still for a long time. "I couldn't imagine my life without Sheppard. But after three years as part of one team, working closely together, almost dying repeatedly and sometimes for each other, that's to be expected, right?" He paused and continued with a mixture of self-disgust and surprise, "But, but the scary thing is... A life without Katie, that I _can_ imagine."

Sam put a hand on his shoulder. Rodney rose abruptly. "I should go," he said. "Please, forget about this entire..." He gestured between them.

"Okay," she said. "Okay. Just... Be careful. Remember that things could get very ugly and complicated if you screw this up in any way."

"Thank you for stating the blatantly obvious," he retorted, painfully serious. He palmed the door control. "See you, Sam. And, well, you don't really expect me to thank you for this conversation, do you?" He stepped out.

The emergency supply of swiss chocolate Sam had brought with her was reduced to half by morning. 

 

\---

It wasn't long until Sam heard about the breakup. Rumor had it that Katie Brown was dating someone from anthropology now, and that Rodney was still pining away for her quietly.

He didn't look like he was pining, though, when he was sitting comfortably in the mess with his team, devouring food like there was no tomorrow, or mocking the intelligence of his scientists, or tinkering with some ancient technology in his lab. One day, which wasn't special compared to any other, Rodney walked into Sam's office, smiling crookedly. "Hi," he said. "I've been meaning to thank you for that conversation we had." He crossed the room and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.

She blinked, then answered, "You're welcome."

Sam never knew exactly when things had changed. This was really the only indication she ever got.


End file.
